According to the New York State Department of Health, traffic accidents are the leading cause of fatal injury among New York residents. In a 2017 report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there were 993 fatal crashes in the state that resulted in 999 deaths. Among those fatalities, 24% were pedestrians. 18% of the accidents involved SUV or pickup occupants. Another 15% involved persons on a motorcycle. Only one percent involved large trucks. The largest percentage of these crashes involved only a single vehicle. When it comes to multi-vehicle crashes, 56% of fatalities involved an intoxicated driver.

On Wednesday before the Fourth of July holiday, 12 people were injured when a sanitation truck lost control and veered off of a highway overpass near Lincoln Tunnel.

Two people were inside the vehicle, operated by the Union City Department of Public Works when it crashed through a guardrail and landed in the westbound lanes of Highway 495 in Union City, New Jersey.

Below, three people in vehicles and at least five people who were on a bus behind the crash were checked out for injuries. At least three people were injured critically, but the nature of their injuries wasn’t immediately clear.

Traffic backup from the crash closed the Port Authority Bus Terminal due to buses being unable to get out of the city.

The tunnel was not reopened to traffic until about 7 p.m. on Wednesday, impacting holiday travel for hours.

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